


The Perfect Picture

by mortalcreator



Series: photographer!Sam [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Doctor!Cas, Kali is mentioned, M/M, References to Sex, References to recreational drug use, former police!Dean, photographer!Sam, police!John, shopowner!Gabriel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-16
Updated: 2014-04-16
Packaged: 2018-01-17 02:35:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1370740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mortalcreator/pseuds/mortalcreator
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gabriel didn’t know what he was looking for, not until he met some amateur kid photographer who took his picture and tripped over his own apologies.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Perfect Picture

**Author's Note:**

> (also on Tumblr: http://mortalcreator.tumblr.com/post/80670237821/the-perfect-picture)

Gabriel closed the door to his shop, Tricks and Treats, with a sigh. It was a Sunday afternoon, which meant that he might as well close up shop now, since most people weren’t interested in sweets or practical jokes on Sunday. They tended to stay at home or go to church, or whatever most people did on Sundays.

He stuffed the keys into his jeans pockets and shifted his small work duffle onto a better position on his shoulder. Sunday also meant that he’d still hear all of nothing from his three other siblings, because Michael was probably off doing official-like things and making sure that Luci stayed out of trouble, Lucifer was off doing his own seedy business or whatever he did after Dad disowned him, and Raphael…Raph  _changed_ , from the sweet little sister that used to help Dad out whenever someone got hurt, into an ice-cold director of some important medical board somewhere.

And here Gabe was, stowing away his last name and taking up his little cousins’ one instead. He wasn’t Gabriel D’Angelo anymore, the good-for-nothing son of Charles (Chuck) D’Angelo. Now it was Gabriel Novak, blood cousin and adopted brother of Castiel Novak, a respected small-town doctor, and Anna Novak, who was attending college and loving it.

He still kept in touch with his dad, in the stilted and erratic way that his dad contacted them. He also had all of his dad’s books. Probably out of some twisted sense of filial duty—Anna would be able to tell him, since she’d been gushing about the Psychology classes she’d been taking.

He sighed, and instead of walking home (his little shop was only a couple blocks from the small townhouse he shared with Cassie and sometimes Anna), he turned the other direction and made his way to a pretty little park he’d found the first few weeks he’d come here.

God, he’d been a wreck. He definitely didn’t like to think of what he’d done, but what with all the autumn in the air, it seemed like his mind was hellbent on digging through his memory banks. He’d done…well, just about everything. Not  _too_ much, he was pretty careful about not getting super addicted to whatever drug he decided to take that night, but he’d been pretty into the party scene. It had become common for him to wake up and not know a thing of what happened for the past three days, and actually be a little okay with it.

Gabe shook his head and found a good bench. It was mid-October, and that meant that this little park had exploded into a ceiling of reds, oranges and yellows, with a few lingering greens from stubborn leaves.

He shucked his duffle onto the other seat and stretched, hearing a satisfying pop from his back. There really wasn’t any way of skirting around the issue—he was getting old. A ripe 30 years old, just a few weeks ago, actually. Ancient.

Not that his new family seemed to care, actually. Sure, Anna teased him about looking into nursing homes whenever she got a day off, and Cassie would make a fuss if he drank more than half a bottle of anything remotely alcoholic, but he never got weird looks or probing questions about exactly what he wanted to do in life. He had his shop, he had a little family that actually seemed to care about him, and he had the park. That was all he needed.

He froze when a little ‘ _click_ ’ came from behind him, one that he was all too familiar with, thanks to his high-profile family. Whipping around, the first thing he registered was  _tall_. This guy was really tall, competing with some of the younger trees for height. He broke 6 feet, easy, compared to Gabe’s 5’ 8”. He was wearing a light blue shirt that did absolutely zip to conceal his obviously well-muscled frame, and he had long brown hair that he tucked behind his ears, and ended at the nape of his neck. He was squinting slightly, but it was easy to tell that he was looking right at Gabe.

A few years earlier, and Gabe would be climbing that boy like a  _tree_. He had made it no secret even when he’d been dating Kali that he was pretty straight, but shit happened. But no, he was living the respectable life now, and that meant much fewer one-night stands. Even so, he could  _feel_ his limbido kick into overdrive.

Finally, the kid (he had such a young-looking face, even with the scruff he’d been growing in) cleared his throat, looking nervous, and walked over to Gabe’s bench.

“Um, hi,” he started, fiddling with his expensive-looking camera. Mm, the kid had a nice voice, too. Made him want to find out what it sounded like in the bedroom. “I’m, uh…well, I just sort of took a picture of you, and I wasn’t really thinking at the time, but um, do you, uh, mind? I mean, I totally get it if you do, and I can delete it right now, it’s just that my photography teacher told me I needed more people in my pictures and I kinda need to pass the class but—” Gabe chucked, waving a hand at the kid.

“Whoa there, tiger,” he said. “Slow down. First of all, my name’s Gabriel Novak. You can call me Gabe, though. Second, hells yeah, you can take my picture. Don’t think you’ll get much of a grade for this handsome face, but yeah. Third of all, you look plain exhausted. I know “overworked” when I see it, and you’re the poster boy. Sit down, will ya? The least you could do after illicitly stalking me and taking pictures is tell me your name.” He tried to keep it casual, keep any excitement out of his voice as he dragged his duffle off the seat next to him and onto the floor. Photo kid near-collapsed on the proffered seat, letting a long sigh of air out.

“Thanks,” he said, holding out one mammoth hand. Gabe grabbed it, and appreciated the firm handshake he got. “My name’s Sam Winchester. I go to the college over here, and um, thanks for letting me keep that photo! That was the last one I needed for this set…” He paused, turning an intense hazel gaze on Gabriel. “Wait, did you say you were a Novak?”

“Adopted, but sure,” Gabe said. Sam’s face split into a wide, boyish grin, and Gabriel basked in its warmth.

“Then you have a great adopted brother,” he said, sincerity and thankfulness spilling into every word. “My brother, Dean…he used to work as a police officer, just like our dad did. He really did a great job of it, but one day this criminal managed to get his hands on a Taser, and…well, he’s gotta stay in the hospital now, cause he’s got heart problems from the electroshock. And Doctor Novak, he’s just been great for Dean. They’re saying now that he might even be able to get out of the hospital, and he might be healthy enough to come back out, get another chance on life. I don’t think it’d be possible without your brother, so…thank you, thank you so much.”

This kid. This  _fucking_ kid. Gabriel wasn’t sure what it was about him (lies, he knew exactly what it was: that kicked puppy look when he was talking about how his obviously idolized brother got hurt, that beautiful smile that gives Gabriel the first butterflies he’s had since he was in second grade, the care he uses to cradle his expensive camera, the way he’d stood straight when he was caught by surprise but now was curling in his shoulders and hunching in a little to make himself smaller, the way he’s  _thanking_ Gabe even though he knows that Gabriel had fuck-all to do with “Dean’s” recovery) but he’s barely known this kid, Sam, and already he’s wondering what he can do to help him. Gabe used to be notorious for his whims, using and sometimes misusing his father’s name and money to mete out his own brand of justice to the people who deserved it. But the kind of people like Sam, well, he tended to treat them more than trick them.

“So, you mentioned you go to college here?” He got a nod as an answer. “Tell you what, I own a shop down the street. It’s called “Tricks and Treats”, and if you ever want to drop by, I’m usually open from 10 to 7. Apparently I make pretty good pastries, but I’d be blowing my own horn if I told you if it was true or not.” He wiggled his eyebrows for no reason, but it made Sam laugh. God, he wants to do that forever, just listen to his laughter. But hey, what else are practical jokes (and jokers) for?

“You do know that Gabriel was the Messenger of God, and he had a horn, right?” Sam said between giggles. And that just made Gabe laugh, because he must be the farthest from an angel that anyone can get.

They talked for a long time after that, about almost anything that came to mind. Gabe learned that Sam used to have a girlfriend named Jess, but she died a few years ago. Sam didn’t really want to talk about it. Sam was gunning for a law degree, so he could help his brother put more crooks behind bars and keep them there, but now that Dean couldn’t join the force anymore he wasn’t sure he wanted to be a lawyer anymore. So he’s been looking into more things. And Sam really liked photography. His face lit up and he became a hundred times more animated, and it was all achingly beautiful. He said that if he can find a good paying job, to support him and Dean, he’ll keep photography as a hobby. He said that his teacher had told him every photographer was looking to capture something in the lens of their camera. Gabriel learned, with much coaxing, that Sam was trying to find a perfect photo.

Sam learned that Gabe was actually  _the_ Gabriel D’Angelo, the infamous party boy-come-humble shop owner, that he moved in with his cousin Castiel after he couldn’t bear how much his own family argued with each other and how helpless he was to stop it, that he loved sweets and practical jokes and Jack Russell Terriers.

Somehow they parted ways after sunset, when the sky starts turning dark blue, and Gabriel had another contact on his phone and a strange feeling settling into his chest.

Over the course of the next few months, things change.

Cassie notices that he texts a lot more on his phone, but doesn’t mention it because Cassie is the best little brother on the planet. Not to mention that the good doctor might have a crush the size of a planet on a certain Tasered police officer.

Gabe works on his store, and schemes several ways of helping out his new photographer friend, preferably without seeming as if he pities him or indicating who this anonymous person even was. He didn’t look down on them at all, but the Winchesters do need help. And if the said photographer friend drops by for apple turnovers or cherry pie, well, he’s not complaining.

Anna notices too, but lets Gabe recruit her in finding out more about Sam Winchester, and after a month or so, sits him down with Cassie and sternly tells them that they are officially in love and pining after these two men, so  _get to it_  or she will put the fear of God into them. Are those two even interested in guys? Well, they were going to find out, or she was going to find out for them, and in the most embarrassing way possible. Gabe secretly is thankful for that, because otherwise he probably wouldn’t have ever mentioned it to anyone. He has a hard time putting what he feels for Sam into actual words, particularly because most of his adult life has been skirting words like “love” and “family”, but whatever it is, it just feels right, like he’s finally come home.

So he finally gets up the courage to do it, and texts Sam to tell him to wait for him in the park they met, all those weeks ago. Gabe comes prepared with a small box of fresh éclairs and cream puffs (if there’s one thing he’s learned, is that as much as he bellyaches about nutrition and eating healthy, Sam is an absolute whore for Gabe’s French pastries) and a head full of words that threaten to weigh anchor in his throat and choke him to death.

He reaches the park in a walk that feels too long and not long enough, and his stomach threatens to burst with the obvious hive of insects that are flying around when he sees Sam sitting there, fiddling with his camera like the gigantic nerd that he is.

“Are those pastries? What are you trying to bribe me to do this time, Gabe?” he teases, in the easy bantering tone they’ve adopted for each other.

“Oh, not much,” Gabe says, but the words spill out on top of each other and he wishes he could sound more cool and collected. “It’s just, ah, I need to talk with you.” The beginnings of a smile slide off of Sam’s face as he blankly accepts the pink bakery box.

“Gabe, are you okay?” he asks, all glorious concern and oh God, how was Gabe going to confess to him?

“Of course I am, Samsquatch,” he says. “I just…can I, can I tell you something?”

“Sure, Gabe. You can tell me anything, you know,” Sam says earnestly, and Gabe just wants to reach over and kiss him for all he’s worth. Put those years of partying to good use.

“I…you know, Sam, for the longest time I didn’t know where I was going to do with my life. I partied a lot, lived in the moment…then I came down here and set up my shop and…I dunno, I guess I was waiting for something.” He grins. “And then I ran into a Peeping Tom college student who was failing photography class, and just, everything changed. Ah ah ah,” he says, putting up a finger to stop Sam, who already was trying to speak. “If I don’t get it out of me now, I’ll never get this out. Anyway, it turned out that this Peeping Tom kid was pretty cool, and maybe not so much a Peeping Tom as a desperate college student. I do what anyone really would, and talk with him, get to know him more, and I end up inviting him over to my shop. And he starts coming regularly, you know? And I’ve, I’ve liked him from the start, but it’s a different sort of like now, and I start catching myself thinking that hey, maybe I can spend the rest of my life with this kid. Maybe I want to. I can imagine waking up in the morning and seeing his face next to mine. But, you know, obviously I have to figure out if this kid wants to, too. So what I guess I’m really trying to say is, Sam…would you like to, um, go on a date? With me? As, you know, more-than-friends?” Sam stares at him for a long moment before bursting into laughter. Uh-oh.

“Well, I was under the impression that all those times at your store were kind of like dates,” he says, and the tiny blush he has makes Gabriel want to pepper his cheeks with kisses. “But um, yeah, I’d love to.” He clears his throat, looking super nervous. “You know, I guess I’ve liked you for a while, I just…I wasn’t sure, you know, that um, you were—” Gabe waves a hand at him to get him to stop, laughing. Five months, and this kid still trips over his own sentences. He keeps laughing out of pure relief when another ‘ _click_ ’ comes from where Sam is sitting, a huge smile sitting on his face like it belongs there.

“Hey Gabe,” he says, still pointing the camera lens at him. “I finally found it. The perfect picture.” The look on his face is irresistible, so Gabriel leans over to finally taste that smile.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first work on AO3! I'm pretty bad at writing in Gabriel's point of view, but I hope you liked it!
> 
> A few explanations, in case you were confused/for the heck of it:  
> -Dean's injury was taken from 1.12 Faith, although I altered it and made it less lethal (he wasn't standing in water). Tasers can actually give you heart problems under stressful conditions!  
> -John Winchester was a policeman, although he was still kind of an asshole. He tended not to go home and usually slept at the station. He was irritable and obsessive, and so got traded around a lot/fired and found another cop job in a different state. Hence the boys moving around a lot.  
> -Mary's death was thanks to the work of a violent cult-gang, who set the house on fire with a flaming arrow into Sammy's nursery. It caught in the corner, and spread. Mary barely managed to get Sammy into John's arms before the room really caught on fire and John wasn't able to save her (after passing Sammy off to Dean). Thus, John's obsessive quest to exterminate the cult-gang started.  
> -Dean studied to be a cop like his dad, to help avenge his mom as well. Sammy didn't want to be a cop, but his dad put up less of a fight when he announced he wanted to go to Stanford (on his full ride) and be a lawyer, because Sammy and Dean teamed up and also it was pointed out that Sammy could help keep the gang members behind bars.  
> -They did end up catching most of the majorly important members, although Sam hasn't taken his bar exam yet. John's rooting out the rest of them.  
> -Dean got transferred to the Palo Alto police station and moved with Sammy.  
> -Anna is a college student because that's what she was before she found out she was a fallen angel. I thought that she'd at least be interested in Psychology, since she seems like a pretty empathetic person.  
> -Cas is a doctor because why not and also he seems to take care of Dean a lot (in his own way) and usually heals Dean so doctor!Cas.
> 
> My tumblr url is mortalcreator.tumblr.com. If you have any other questions, feel fee to drop me a line! Thanks for reading my work!


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